Hussein Bbaale
Doha: As a child, Hussein Bbaale was used to sit on the floor of a small mosque built of bricks and wood whose corners were arranged in the form of classrooms. Bbaale would attend “school” with his friends in the remote village of Namungoona in Uganda. Despite the unconventional school facility, these children, from humble backgrounds, had the unbreakable will to get an education.
Today, Bbaale has become a sheikh (a prominent Sharia scholar in his village) at a mosque. Although, he still sits on the floor of a mosque, but now it’s in the Education City Mosque that stands on a campus housing prestigious schools and world-class universities, including Qatar Foundation’s (QF’s) Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), from where he is set to graduate after completing his Master’s in Contemporary Islamic Studies.
Bbaale was born into a family with a humble background. He lost five of his siblings to poor living conditions and diseases. He too suffered from a serious illness in his childhood that almost took his life.
“I was born into a poor family. We suffered greatly because of poverty and disease. My mother used to leave the house at dawn, carrying vegetables on her head to sell them and provide us with our daily food. We, in turn, helped my mother in this difficult situation. The situation never helped us have a happy childhood,” says Bbaale.
The future seemed bleak in that family until education emerged as a ray of light with the establishment of the first school in the village. And because Bbaale’s mother was aware of the value of education as a tool for change – even though she was deprived of it – she was keen to send her children to school, despite all their financial difficulties.
“The school started with one class under a tree close to the mosque. And with the encouragement of our village sheik, we participated in building additional classes,” says Bbaale.
He had to work hard during the summer to be able to enter the first elementary school in his village. His mother, whose work began to exhaust her body, could no longer afford all the expenses, and therefore, he was able to only collect the payment for one term.
But his impressive performance in his studies and immense will helped him obtain some privileges.
Bbaale excelled in science, Arabic, and religion despite working and missing classes. He was inspired by his mother’s belief in him becoming a doctor. And although the village school was not officially registered, the village sheikh ensured that they registered at a public school for public exams. But after this, the university seemed out of the question due to costs.
Bbaale did not give up. He had heard that Saudi Arabia was offering scholarships for students to study Islamic sciences in its universities. And although everyone around him absolutely ruled out his acceptance, he went forth and applied.
“I was selling soft drinks on a bike when I got the news of my acceptance. I sat down in disbelief,” Bbaale recalls. “After overcoming all possible hurdles and gathering all my mom’s savings that she had been collecting for so long, I travelled to Saudi Arabia.”
In Saudi Arabia, Bbaale was required to re-study all the secondary school subjects as a condition for his admission to the university because his theology certificate from his school was considered inequivalent according to Saudi Arabia’s standards. He did what was needed and eventually became a university student.
After graduating with his bachelor’s degree he returned to Uganda where he started social work. During this time, Bbaale saw an advertisement for scholarships for Contemporary Islamic Studies at HBKU. And so, he applied.
Bbaale’s application was rejected, but he did not give up. He submitted a second request which was also rejected. And then a third. Finally, he received an email from QF congratulating him on his acceptance.
“In Education City, I found myself at a new horizon of learning and of developing myself. I interacted with highly ethical professors and great colleagues. My experience in Qatar, and in Qatar Foundation, refined my personality and strengthened my future goals.”
Bbaale is determined to return to Uganda to serve the community that awaits him.
“I will return to my village, and first, I will kiss my mother’s head. She dedicated her whole life in providing for me and my family,” says Bbaale.
He wants to follow in the footsteps of his village sheikh who supported him in his education.
“I want to establish a school, and I want to awaken in the children the hope that achieving dreams is possible, as my mother used to do each time, she used to wake me up for school, saying: you will learn and work, and you will be a source of inspiration for everyone.”
